Having ambition is not an obligation to reach the highest level, Salma Al-Hajjaj teaches the real meanings of ambition, feminism, and how to leave a meaningful legacy. “Ambition is when a person creates value for themselves in order to leave a print in the future.”
Salma Al-Hajjaj is a General Manager of HR in Gulf Bank for over 10 years who also worked in the oil and investment sectors. She initially studied mathematics in university which led her to enter programming in an organizations HR department, she felt comfortable in the field and fell in love with it, so she decided to pursue it full time. The reason HR became her passion is because she is able to mentor and help develop the youth who are the future leaders of the world, she loves investing in them, especially young girls, which is a part of her mission to develop Gulf Bank.
An important to while discussing women, especially in the workplace, is the double standards they face. Posing the example of how if there’s a misunderstanding between two men and one of them raises their voice it is simply something that happens under stress, but if a similar instance happened between women it is viewed in an exaggerated way, jealousy in the workplace happens between men as well but it is only a stereotype to pit women against each other. Salma goes deeper into how it takes more from a woman to be able to prove herself and her success compared to a man and how when a man he is seen as strong and authoritative, but when a woman stands her ground, she is aggressive. A woman being strong does not take away from her femininity, she is a Strong Woman.
It is widely viewed that motherhood is a challenge or an obstacle for female employees, or vice versa, and even Salma herself had the thought of being a stay-at-home mom until her husband told her it was a waste of potential and went back to work after four months. She emphasizes that as hard as the early years of motherhood are, it will pass and she will be able to come back to work, and your love and commitment for your work will motivate and inspire your child to do the same. She reminds women that it is not easy to have that work-life balance, but if you have the passion for it you will find that it is worth it in the bigger picture.
Today, Gulf Bank has become a bank that gives equal opportunity to both men and women, and Al-Hajjaj plays a major part in getting it to that point. After a data analysis of the bank’s records, Salma realized that there are no women in leadership roles, and she wondered why that was the case. After that she made sure to focus on developing women in Gulf Bank by coaching them and she considers it her biggest achievement that in a short time a difference was made. The bank now provides female clients with special services like the rose gold credit card, and with her help, WAW was founded, a monthly meeting between female employees to discuss their challenges. She started with coaching workshops that taught her to believe in her strengths and proposed the idea to change the system, her male colleagues were fortunately supportive and willing to give the chance and push needed for female employees to reach their full potential.
The true meaning of the feminist movement was also part of the discussion, clarifying that it does not exist to force women to work or push them into doing things they do not want to do, and that its true meaning is “If I want it, I have the right to achieve it.” Al-Hajjaj however advises women to have aspirations for contributing something to the world, there is no right or wrong in what you want to achieve. Returning to the point of motherhood, she explains that being a mother in its own is an achievement in itself.
Salma ends her inspiring discussion by highlighting the importance of legacy, reminding us that ambition is about distinguishing yourself from the rest rather than aiming for the highest in the hierarchy. Ultimately the episode will help change stereotypes about women in the workplace and give women the desire to challenge themselves and set their goals accordingly.
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